Locking cooler with internal compartment

ABSTRACT

A portable cooler with a locking system including and interior compartment within the lid of the portable cooler for the secure storage of items, said interior compartment held closed by various means to prevent the interior compartment from opening while the portable cooler is in the closed position to prevent the spilling of the contents of the interior compartment into the interior space of the cooler.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent disclosure relates generally to the field of portablethermally insulated containers.

BACKGROUND

The use of thermally insulated portable containers is widely known. Suchcontainers, commonly referred to as “coolers,” are widely used for manyfunctions, but primarily for the transportation and storage ofperishable goods such as foods and drinks. Portable coolers are mostcommonly used to keep perishable goods cold, sometimes by employing iceor cold packs within the coolers.

One limitation of the standard portable cooler is that melting ice orcondensation from cold packs will create a wet environment within thecooler, which may affect items stored within it. Various devices havebeen developed in the past to protect dry goods from this wetenvironment. The use of multiple compartments, as in U.S. Pat. No.6,536,228 to Hall, is a common solution. Shelves or inserts above thewater level, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,056 to Brown, are also common.These solutions are primarily designed for storage of foods, and arethus designed to store comparatively large objects.

Another limitation of the standard cooler is that the contents are notsecured, and may be tampered with if unattended. Portable coolers withlocking mechanisms are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,214 to Henderson,for example, details a portable cooler with a combination lock toprevent unauthorized access to the contents of the cooler.

Portable coolers are commonly used by workers to carry food and drink tothe workplace, particularly in locations where there is no access torefrigeration. In such locations, secure storage space is oftenunavailable, making it difficult to stow personal items. It would beadvantageous to provide a locking cooler assembly which also has asecondary feature of securely storing personal items while protectingthem from the other contents of the cooler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for a securable interior compartmentwithin the lid of a cooler employing a locking mechanism. Thiscomparatively small internal compartment allows the user of the coolerto store personal items, such as keys, wallets, or phones within thespace protected by the lock on the cooler. Various means possiblyincluding but not limited to a latch, fins overlapping the hinges coversof the cooler, and snaps in the interior compartment and its cover areincorporated in order to prevent the release of items contained withinthe interior compartment in the lid of the portable cooler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front right side perspective view of a portable coolerhaving the inventive design;

FIG. 2 is a rear left side perspective view of the portable cooler shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial top left side view of the portable cooler shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial top left side view of the portable cooler shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is front right side perspective view of a portable cooler shownin FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As pictured in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention is primarilyembodied in a portable cooler 100 with a thermally insulated interiorspace 1 defined by vertical walls 2, a bottom 3, and a lid 4. Theportable cooler 100 in the preferred embodiment features a pair ofcarrying handles 5 and a pair of strap supports 6 for a shoulder strap(not pictured). A locking mechanism 7 penetrates the lid 4 through alocking slot 8, allowing for the portable cooler 100 to be locked in aclosed position by placing a common padlock through a shackle hole 9 inthe locking mechanism 7.

An interior compartment 10 is provided for stowing additional itemswithin the cooler. An interior compartment 10 is defined within the lid4 of the portable cooler 100 by means of a depression 12 in the lid 4and a compartment cover 13 hinged to the lid 4 and securable by means ofa compartment latch 11 to protect against unintentional openingcompartment cover 13 resulting in the release of items stowed in theinterior compartment 10.

The lid 4 of the portable cooler 100 is affixed to one of the verticalwalls 2 by means of a hinge 14, which allows the portable cooler 100 tobe opened. The hinge 14 is eccentrically shaped to allow for hard stopsat positions perpendicular to the rim 15 of the interior space 1 andparallel to the rim 15 of the interior space 1 in both an open and aclosed position. FIG. 1 depicts the portable cooler 100 with the lid 4in the open parallel position. In this orientation, the compartmentcover 13 can be opened without any fear of contents of the interiorcompartment 10 spilling out into the interior 1.

FIG. 3 depicts the compartment cover 13 in the closed position. Thelatch 11 can be selectably rotated to either release or secure thecompartment cover 13 by either overlapping the closure plate 19 to pushthe compartment cover 13 closed or by clearing the closure plate 19 toallow the compartment cover 13 to be pulled open. To additionallyprotect against accidental opening of the interior compartment 10, thecompartment cover 13 features a pair of protruding fins 16 which extendbeyond compartment cover 13 and engage the hinge frame 20 adjoining theouter wall 1, preventing the compartment cover 13 from opening when thelid 4 is in the closed position even if the compartment latch 11 is notin its closed position.

FIG. 4 depicts the compartment cover 13 in the open position. Thecompartment cover 13 is hinged at the end of the lid 4 opposite thecooler hinge 14 to allow the protruding fins 16 to interface with thehinge frame 20. The interior compartment 10 also features nubs 17 whichsnap into corresponding slots 18 in the compartment cover, furthersecuring the interior compartment 10 and preventing accidental openingof the compartment cover 13.

FIG. 5 depicts the portable cooler with the lid 4 in its closedposition, and demonstrates that as long as a padlock (not shown) securesthe locking mechanism 7 of the portable cooler 100, the interiorcompartment 10 and its contents are inaccessible.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examplesof the disclosed system and technique. However, it is contemplated thatother implementations of the disclosure may differ in detail from theforegoing examples. All references to the disclosure or examples thereofare intended to reference the particular example being discussed at thatpoint and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope ofthe disclosure more generally. All language of distinction anddisparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate alack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from thescope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” andsimilar referents in the context of describing the invention (especiallyin the context of the following claims) are to be construed to coverboth the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein orclearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one”followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of Aand B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listeditems (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (Aand B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext.

Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalentsof the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permittedby applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-describedelements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by thedisclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context.

We claim:
 1. A portable cooler comprising: a body enclosing a thermallyinsulated interior space bounded by a bottom, a wall, and a lid hingedto said wall such that said lid can move from an open position to aclosed position; a locking mechanism interfacing with said lid such thatsaid thermally insulated interior space cannot be accessed while saidlid is in said closed position and said locking mechanism is engaged; aninternal compartment bounded by the interior of said lid and an internalcompartment cover; wherein said internal compartment is not accessiblefrom the exterior of the container body while said lid is in said closedposition.
 2. The portable cooler set forth in claim 1, wherein saidlocking mechanism includes a shackle hole to accommodate a padlock. 3.The portable cooler set forth in claim 1, wherein said internalcompartment cover includes nubs configured to interface with slots insaid lid.
 4. The portable cooler set forth in claim 1, wherein said lidis hinged to said body.
 5. The portable cooler set forth in claim 1,wherein said internal compartment cover is hinged to said lid.
 6. Theportable cooler set forth in claim 1, wherein said internal compartmentcover is securable by means of a latch.
 7. A portable cooler comprising:a body enclosing a thermally insulated interior space bounded by abottom, a wall, and a lid hinged to said wall such that said lid canmove from an open position to a closed position; a locking mechanisminterfacing with said lid such that said thermally insulated interiorspace cannot be accessed while said lid is in said closed position andsaid locking mechanism is engaged; an internal compartment bounded bythe interior of said lid and an internal compartment cover; wherein saidinternal compartment is physically separated from said thermallyinterior space while said lid is in said closed position.
 8. Theportable cooler set forth in claim 2, wherein said locking mechanismincludes a shackle hole to accommodate a padlock.
 9. The portable coolerset forth in claim 2, wherein said internal compartment cover includesnubs configured to interface with slots in said lid.
 10. The portablecooler set forth in claim 2, wherein said lid is hinged to said body.11. The portable cooler set forth in claim 2, wherein said internalcompartment cover is hinged to said lid.
 12. The portable cooler setforth in claim 2, wherein said internal compartment cover is securableby means of a latch.